Finding Grace: A Novel (41 page)

"Open your eyes," he said.

She did, and sitting in her lap was a grey
and white little thing that wiggled and leaned its head against her
in a plea for attention.

"Oh my goodness," she replied. It was all
she could think to say at the moment, she was so overwhelmed.

"The salesman called him a little greyhound.
He's a lapdog, so won't get nearly as big as the farm dogs you're
used to. But I thought you would like him all the same."

She looked up at him, her eyes radiant, and
she wondered how she could love anyone more than she loved him.
"How did I ever find such a good man?" His grin was typical of him.
So was the reply.

"Luck. Pure luck."

Chapter 21

“
Truth and
Consequences”

She felt her hands tremble as she stood at
the side of the stage, listening to the music from the band, and
from where she stood she could see the people dancing out on the
floor. The sound of a crowded house had become so familiar to her,
and now every noise reminded her that in a few short moments, she
would be standing out there in front of them. She started pacing
back and forth, but she didn’t get to pace for long. Toby reached
out and put a hand on her arm, and she smiled nervously.

"Are you going to make it?" he asked.

Her voice trembled. “I hope so.”

"Just breathe deep," he reminded her. "And
remember, I'm there with you. You'll be just fine."

She nodded, hoping against hope that she
didn't pass out on the stage.

As she resumed pacing, Jack and Alice
appeared in the hall, and they came towards her with smiling faces.
She felt a certain weight lift from her shoulders, knowing that she
had such love and support around her. The only downside was that
Henry was not there. He did not always mingle around the backstage,
as it was not his place. He was out there, among his guests. But
she knew that he was watching, from wherever he was, and that was
comfort enough.

Jack and Alice both embraced her, and Alice
reached into her purse to take out a little wrapped package.

"We got you something for good luck," she
said, opening the box. It was a braided gold bracelet, which she
put on Grace's wrist. "It's not exactly a brass ring, but we
thought it could serve the same purpose."

She wanted to cry, and she felt the tears
well in her eyes as Alice kissed her cheek. But Jack, in his usual
way, had the antidote to any bouts of weepiness, even while he was
kind about it.

"Lord, you women and your tears,” he said.
“Now’s not the time to fall apart. Wait until afterwards, and then
you can cry and blubber like a baby."

Standing near them and watching with a smile
was Toby, and the three at last seemed to notice him there. Alice
went over to give him a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you for being
there with her.”

Jack reached his hand out, and they
shook.

"Take care of her out on that stage. Don't
let her fall on her face."

Toby grinned. "I'll try not to.”

A moment later, they heard Thomas on the
microphone, announcing Grace's name. She felt her breath leave her
body, and a wave of dizziness came over her. But then, she felt the
warmth of Toby's hand on hers. He smiled at her for a moment, and
suddenly she felt a kind of peace steal over her entire being. He
went out on the stage and a moment later she followed. The
backlights went down as she stood before the microphone, enveloping
her in darkness. The curtain rose, and she cast her eyes on the
floor as the music began. Then the spotlight came on her. She
lifted her head, seeing the audience shadowed in the dimness,
waiting. With a little glance over at Toby, she smiled. And she
began to sing…

Pack up all my care and
woe,
Here I go, Singing low,
Bye-bye blackbird,

Where somebody waits for me,
Sugar's sweet, so is he,
Bye-bye Blackbird!
No one here can love or understand me,
Oh, what hard luck stories they all hand me,
Make my bed and light the light,
I'll be home late tonight,
Blackbird bye-bye…

The words of the song flowed out of her with
such smoothness that she hardly knew the sound of her own voice,
and when it was over, the room erupted in applause, and she took in
breath after cleansing breath as relief flooded her body and soul.
She looked at Toby, who stood smiling and applauding. She looked
over at Jack and Alice as they clapped and smiled as well. And out
in the audience, at the back of the room, was Henry. He stood with
arms folded, and she could not see if he was smiling. But a moment
later she saw him bring his hand to his lips, and he sent her a
kiss across the room as the curtain came down.

Behind the curtain, she hardly had time to
recover before Bill, the stage manager, was at her side demanding
that she give an encore.

Her eyes grew wide with fear and confusion.
"An encore? What's that mean?"

"It means they love you, and they want to
hear more.”

"What do I do?" she asked. "What will I
sing? It took everything I had to learn that one song. I don't know
any others that they like."

"Sing anything," Bill declared, looking a
little afraid himself. There was a long moment as they looked at
each other, unsure what to do. They looked to Toby, who just
shrugged his shoulders. Then, from the side of the stage came
Henry.

"You have to get out there before they rush
the stage.”

"But I don't have any other songs," she
replied.

"Sure you do. Sing the ‘Wabash Cannonball.’
That’s a great song.”

She looked mortified at the idea. "They
don't want to hear an old country song like that. That's not what
they listen to."

"Everyone knows that song. They play it on
the radio all the time. Believe me, they'll be putty in your hands.
Now get out there and do your thing.” He took her by the shoulders,
turned her around, and gave her a little push towards the
stage.

Bill went out on the stage to make another
introduction as the curtain went up again, and the applause rose a
little. A moment later she was before the microphone again. Still a
little nervous, she spoke in a soft and unsteady voice as the
audience calmed down. When she asked them if they wanted to hear
more, a round of cheer went up, and she smiled shyly, encouraged
and delighted that they wanted to hear her.

As the song spilled out of her, the audience
responded with spontaneous applause. As she played the last notes,
she felt an urge to jump up and down with excitement, thrilled by
the love she was feeling from the whole room of strangers. And
almost before she struck the last note, the place went wild and
rose to their feet, cheering and yelling their approval of her. She
took her bow, feeling as if she were floating on air, and then she
turned to Pete and threw her arms around him in a hug of
appreciation, and then looked at the audience and smiled, nodding
her head in thanks. The curtain came down, and she rushed off the
stage in a wild leap of joy.

"I did it!" she cried, throwing her arms
around Henry's neck and laughing at the same time, not caring who
might be watching. Only the slightest bit of mental strength kept
her from kissing him full on the lips, as she wanted to do in a
most ardent expression of joy. Instead, she went to Pete and hugged
him again, then to Toby, who was standing nearby with a proud
smile, and then to Jack and Alice. It was the greatest night of her
life, and she wanted the whole world to know just how happy she
was.

In the hall, she walked along surrounded by
the people she loved, and her step had a certain kind of spring to
it. Everyone seemed to be speaking at once, but Henry's voice soon
carried over all the others. He took her by the hand.

"There are some people I would like you to
meet." She started to go, and then looked back at Jack and Alice.
Jack waved her away.

"Go on, sis, go meet your public. We'll see
you later at home."

"But you're not leaving now, are you?"

"We really should," Alice replied. "I'm not
feeling so well. I think I need to go home and lie down. But you
stay and mingle. I'm sure someone will see that you get home safe."
She looked pointedly at Henry…and Jack narrowed his eyes, though
the corner of his mouth threatened to turn up.

"He better make sure.”

Henry nodded. "I promise, she will be home
safe and sound, and very soon. Now come on.” He took her gently by
the arm. "There are people waiting."

She managed to give Jack and Alice each a
small kiss before she was whisked away to the main floor, where
person after person waited to speak to her and shake her hand. The
praise was all very thrilling, but quite overwhelming as well. Most
of the names she knew she would not remember, but she still managed
a polite word or two and genuine smiles to all who were so kind to
her. One couple stood out from the rest…an elderly couple, dressed
in much finery, who seemed to know Henry quite well. She learned
they were his Great Aunt Melinda and Great Uncle Andrew, who were
proprietors of a bed and breakfast in Florida. They gave her a
card, declaring that if she ever wanted to escape a frigid Chicago
winter, she could make herself welcome as their guest. She was
certain she might never use the invite, but she took the card all
the same, thanking them for their kindness.

After all the commotion had died down, she
was glad to escape to the peace and quiet of the little dressing
room she’d been given. Henry was busy tending to some last minute
things before closing up for the night, so she waited there for
him, trying to gather her wits after all the night had brought. She
had just put her head down on the dressing table when there was a
knock on the door. She expected Henry, but it was as pleasant to
her to see it was Toby who had come instead, and she smiled at him
as he entered.

“
I just wanted to check on
you before I go home for the night,” he said. “How do you feel
about all of this?”

She sighed, but smiled at the same time.
“I’m tired. I’m happy. I’m stunned. I can’t believe I got through
the whole thing without making a fool of myself.”

He grinned and chuckled. “Well you did, and
you were wonderful. You should be very proud of yourself.”

“
I owe you everything,” she
declared. “If it wasn’t for you, I would never have been able to do
it.” She came to his side, kissing him on the cheek. “You’re the
best friend I ever had, and I mean that.”

He seemed overwhelmed, and she was sure she
saw a blush on his face, which made her smile. “Good night, Grace,”
he said quickly, turning to go.

But as he turned, the door opened. And Grace
gasped as she saw Charlie appear before her.

“
Charlie, what are you doing
here? Get out now, before Henry sees you and skins you
alive.”

“
Who is this?” Toby asked
her.

“
Nobody to worry about,” she
replied. “Charlie is someone I used to know, but not
anymore.”

She looked at Charlie, who was standing with
his eyes on the floor, shaking his head. There was something eerie
about the way he was doing that, but she told herself it was
nothing. All she had to do was get him out of the room, and
everything would be fine. “Go, Charlie, or I’ll call someone. The
police, if I have to.”

At last he looked up at her, and his eyes
shined with a strange, frightening light. “I loved you so much,
Gracie. When we were kids, you were the only one who didn’t laugh
at me or call me names. When I left, I told myself I would come
back someday and marry you. But you didn’t want to marry me. You
didn’t want me. Nobody has ever wanted me.” His words became
mumbled as he began to cry a little, and he reached into his pocket
and pulled out a small pistol, which he raised to his head.

Toby gasped, backing up. “Jesus, Mary and
Joseph.” He stood in front of Grace, who had her hand covering her
mouth.

In a wild voice, Charlie cried out. “With
righteousness shall the Lord God judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth! And he shall smite the earth with
the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay
the wicked!”

Two shots rang out, piercing the quiet of
the room…and an eerie quiet fell.

* * * * *

As his last associate left his office, Henry
sat back in his chair with a little sigh. He reached into his
pocket, and smiling at himself, he opened the little box he’d been
keeping hidden all day. There was the little ring he had purchased.
Through Jack, he had discovered the right size of her finger. He
looked at the shining little object…a gold band with a small
diamond and sapphire setting, not too large as to be ridiculous,
but not so little as to go unnoticed. For a moment he imagined her
reaction to it, wondering if she might cry, as most women would
when accepting a proposal. But then, he knew she hardly acted as
other women did…so her reaction would probably be something
delightfully unusual. It made him grin just thinking about it, and
he rose from his chair in anticipation of meeting her
downstairs.

He would take her to Union Station, in the
great hall, where they had first met. What more perfect setting
could there be than where it all began for them? He flipped off the
office lights, and just as he closed the door, he heard a distant
sound of two loud popping noises, almost like the sounds of
firecrackers…or the sound of gunfire.

Instinct made him rush down the stairs
towards the source of the noise. As he rounded the banister, he
suddenly heard screaming and shouting. He saw people rushing
towards the back hallway behind the stage…and a sick feeling began
to come over him. He moved faster, seeing the little crowd that had
gathered. He looked for Grace, searching the crowd for her face…and
a cold sweat broke on him as he realized she was not there. Then a
voice, shrill and feminine, cried out from near the dressing room
door.